Hood for vehicles



Allg- 18, 1936- F. B. s. GRIMSTON 2,051,140

HOOD FOB VEHICLES FiledvNov. e, 1935 :5 sheets-sheet 1 jade/1125A' ma 73 6.' fwmm Aug. 18 1936. F. B. s. GRlMsToN HOOD FOR VEHICLES Filed Nov. 6, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 1s, 1936.

F. B. s. GRlMsToN HOOD FOR VEHICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 6, 1955 L? 12g z Patented Au'g. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES HOOD FOR VEHICLES Francis Brian Sylvester Grimston, Haslemere,

Surrey, England Application November 6, 1935, Serial No. 48,559 In Great Britain September 3, 1934 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hoods for vehicles and more particularly to automobile hoods of the kind which are moved from an up position over the tonneau to a down" position and vice versa without being folded, the

hood when not in use lying on the rear end of the car.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a hood of this kind and a mounting therefor, such that the hood can be manipulated with ease, the hood being controlled and guided in its movements so that the front end thereof is always maintained above and clear of the heads of the occupants of the vehicle, as the hood is moved from the up to the down position and vice versa, and the View of the occupants of the car and the entry and egress from the car remainunobstructed.

In accordance with the present invention therefore, there is provided a hood for vehicles adapted to be moved substantially Without deformation from an up position over the tonneau of the vehicle into a down position over the rear end of the vehicle body,v in which the position of the hood during movement from one end position to the other is positively controlled by the co-operation of stationary guides with which the vrear end of the hood is coupled and movable struts pivoted to the vehicle body and to thev hood, and adapted to support the front end of the hood. The improved arrangement is such that in the up position of the hood the side links or struts may lie at least for the main part to the rear of the edges of the side flanges of the hood.

In the preferred arrangement the side links or struts also lie Wholly or for the main part beyond the edges4 of the side anges of the hood when the latter is in its down position overthe rear end of the vehicle body.

The side links may be mounted in such a manner as to be constrained to move together about the pivotson the hood and body during movements. of the hood so that the latter is caused to move parallel to itself.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of one side of the rear end of the vehicle body and of the means employed to guide the rear end of the hood, 5

Fig. '7 is arview in side elevation of the guiding means for the rear end of the hood and of the upper end of a guide,

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the vehicle with the hood in the raised position, l0 Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7

Referring to the drawings, the hood I may be formed of sheet metal shaped as shown in Fig. 3.

being of approximately quarter elliptic shape in l5 p side view and provided with depending iside anges 2. In the case illustrated the flanges are of increasing width towards the lower or rear end of the hood, but it is to be understood that other shapes may be employed and the width of said flanges may be varied within the ordinary limits imposed by considerations of appearance of the vehicle and the .amount of window or observation space which it is necessary to provide to afford a satisfactory field of view to occupants of the vehicle beneath the hood.

At each side of the vehicle is provided a link pivotally connected with` the vehicle body and with the hood I. Y

In thecase illustrated, a length of metal tubing or rod is bent to approximately U-form (Fig. 5) and the cross piece vil thereof is mounted in plummer blocks 4 carried on a cross member 5 provided on the vehicle body to the rear of the Sqllab.

The limbs 6 of the U, form the links and they are bent at` their upper ends as ,shown at 1 and the extremities of parts 1 mounted in self aligning bearings 8 carried by brackets 9 secured to the underside of the hood I. The integral cross piece 3 ensures that the links 6 shall at all times move together.

In come cases a further connecting member such as a bar I0 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, may be provided between the ends of the links S adjacent the pivots 8. Y

The rear end of the vehicle body is curved downwardly towards the rear, the shape approxi-v` mating to that of the hood, and means are provided o-n the hood for co-operation with means on the Vvehicle body for guiding the rear end of the hood.

For this purpose, at the rear edge of the hood I are xedly mounted a pair of brackets I.I to the lower ends of which are connected T-shaped Y sliders I2, Vtheconnection being 'through'hori- Y zontal'pivot pins 23 so'that the sliders mayrock Y, about theV pinswith regard to the brackets I I.-V

The brackets II Yand slidersY I2 areV arranged near the opposite sides of the hood, Fig. 3, and 'project downwards through slots I3, one of which is shown in'Fig. 6 formed between the side edgesV ofthe cover AItlof the boot or storage spacewith- 'inthe rear end ofthe vehicle,'1and the side por-Y Y' tions I-,offsaidrearfend Asfwill be seenfrom Y Fig. 8 the Vslots I3 inthe rear end of the vehicle Y extendbetween pointsat or near the upper andV lower extremities of the rear'end so that exten- Y sionsrl3 thereof are formed above and belowthe Vupper and lower'edges of the cover I4. VA frame` member I6 of each of saidV side portions I5 iis rebated as shown at I'I and in the rebate is xed ay channelV section guide 'member I8 the edges 'I9 'Y vr22o Inathe preferred arrangement buffer springs22 Y vare provided Yat the upper ends Yof guide' memof which are inturned. The sliders I2 engage and slide within the channel section members I8.

bers I8, the ends of these springs being supported in'housings 25 atsthe forward en-d of the rearof the vehicle,'while metal or other rigid blocks 24 e arejprovided within thespace Vformed by therei soY Y Y,movement to the free ends thereof.

, bate II to locate said springs 22 while permitting `In the up positionof the hood I'as shown inV Figs. 2 and 4,7the linksV project upwardly and forwardly and in the case illustrated the front end Yof the hoodjenga'gesfthek windscreen and issupv ported thereon, the' sliders I 2 engagingthefsprings 22 in such a manner as tofcompress them soV thatf( Vthe partsare heldagainst rattling. .'If Vdesired c however, the linksB and the sliders` fl2alone Vmay support the hood. Y y Y. Y

' The points of connection 8 of the links or struts 'Sfw'ith the'hood lie forwardly ofV thepoints of ,connection 4 Yof the-struts Ywith Vthe vehicle body, in the upr positionof the hood,`and lasa consequenceY the front end of Vthe hood'will be raised on the struts well above the heads of the occu- Y pants of the vehicle as the hood ismoved from the fup to the down position'or viceversa (see "1 'Fig. 4) .Y .In the raised position ofltheV hood the links 6 lie to the rear of the forward'edgesoi the left YVclear or side curtains .o1-. screens Vmay veasily above the edgesV Vof the befitted to cover'th-e space VbetweenfthehoodV Yiiangesvzrtnd'the edge ofthe Ybody withoutfrergard to fthe Yexistence of the links 6.

In' the arrangement shown the upperv axis of pivotationronthe hood is situated approximately midway between the front and rear ends ofthe hood VLandthe lower axis onv the bodyk issituated adjacent Vthe lower front corners f Yof therside ,ilanges 2, the hood being'considered asin the raised position, and itV will beV seen from Fig'. 4 that` the links 6 `when the Yhood is lowered lie flanges V2e and areiri this case concealed. Y Y

The links' mayrhowever, be arranged on the outside of the hood flanges instead of inside asl rear end of the vehicle on which the hood flanges 2 rest when the hood is down and the links 6 may Y would be'slightly below the lower rear ends of the flanges 2 the hood again being considered. as in Vthe-up position, but .the links'l in the upposit'io'n ,Y Y j would still lie almost wholly to the rear of, though '5, Y outside the edgesrof, the ilanges i,l Y Y 'Y Instead of connecting the opposite linksrto- V gether, asby cross'pieces SorZIII, links of very 'stiff material mounted in robust aligned bearings Y on the hood may be used, the rigidity of the hood Y10 itself in conjunction with the guide means I2, I8

' being reliedV upon to constrain the links to move Vgrooves or other convenient Vhousing spaces may be `provided' to receive the links. Y'As the lower-V ,ingl movement of theV hood commencedY the v20V A The links 6 at theirflower ends may be pivotally p l Y mounted either inside or Voutside the body! of the25.`

vehicle or between .inner and outer 'panels' orv Y walls. Y e v Iclaim: V H 'y Y l.' In a. vehiclev body having a downwardly curved rear portion provided with; spaced guides`,3Q

1 said-guidesY extending longitudinally ofthe length of the bodya combined slid'ably and pivotally mounted hood for coveringVv the tonneairof-.thea vehicle,` saidk hood having iside flanges, means slidabl'yY connecting the rear end of said fhood'to 35 said guides, spaced members pivotallyconnected to thehood, and means pivotally connecting said members about a xed fulcrumto -th'eQvehiolej body and hood wherebytheho'odandsaidnfiem'-V bersV arearr'anged to be' swung about the fixed 40ji1 fulcru'mV and the hood is guided in its movement to its extreme positions by said guides', said memf Vbers lying within the? edges of the side `ilanges when'the hood is ineither of its extremepositions Y 2. In a Vehicle body having'y a1 downwardly 45 V Vcurved rear1portion4provided with spaced Vguide slots extending longitudinallyv of the length of the body,said slots -having buffer springs mounted inthe upper endsv thereof, sliders movable in said4V slots, aV combined slidably and pivotally mounted 50M hood'for covering the tonneau of the vehicle body, Y said Yhood adapted to be movedv from an .up position Vover the tonneau into a down" position 'over said rear portion', means connecting vthe Y, Vsliders tothe rear end of said hood, said sliders 55 connecting's'a'id rnembers'aboutajxed'fulcrum to the vehicle body and hood,- whereby the hood 60" and said members are arranged to be'swung about the xed fulcrum and the hood isguided in its l movement toits extreme positions by said'sliders,

said buffer Vsprings upon the initialmovementof the hood to its fdown positionacting'to pre-55A? v vent the sliders from binding in said slots.

FRANCIS BniAN sYLvns'rEa GRIMsToN.'

shown. In this case the lower axis of pivotation Y 

